Free Piano Music for Beginners
Wabash Cannonball
Free piano music for beginners Wabash Cannonball is a fun easy solo or duet. This printable kids sheet music comes with a Primo and Secondo part, and the lyrics to Wabash Cannonball.
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Johnny Cash, singing Wabash Cannonball
Johnny starts singing after about the 30 second mark.
The primo (or solo, if playing without a partner)
In the Primo, the two hands share Middle C, and it doesn't really matter which finger plays the C. The lyrics I have used here are claimed to be public domain.
Regarding the lyrics, I have placed the chorus first as the melody fits the words of the chorus perfectly.
Move the melody up an octave for a duet
To make a duet out of Wabash Cannonball, the melody or Primo part must be played UP an octave. This will be obvious to most pianists, but there are some people out there who always think extremely literally...
Reading the notes
I call these easy pieces in Middle C position "note-reader songs", and I frequently give them even to older students and especially transfer students who aren't used to playing chords. If you'd like a version of the melody with letters in the note heads, go to this page and scroll down alphabetically...
After kids have learned the melody, I'll have them switch to the secondo!
They don't have to be able to read all the bass clef notes, they just have to learn the chord patterns.
Learning the secondo
I suggest you get them going on the LH first, then add the full RH triads after the LH is easy.
In Wabash Cannonball, the Secondo chords sound full and vigorous, but they are easy to play once a beginner can make triads in the RH (right hand) - see the second scales & chords that I give my beginners - and can do the LH open chord with the moving thumb ("boogie chords" at my studio).
This piece is FUN
It takes a little bit of practice to get the coordination down, and to jump to the new chord positions fast enough. But it's fun! This is the kind of piece brothers and sisters will play at home on their own, just because the contagious energy of the bass part (the secondo) is irresistible.
Wabash Cannonball makes an energetic recital piece, easily playable by most first-year students!
The links to Wabash Cannonball:
Download Free Piano Music for Beginners Wabash Cannonball melody
Find Wabash Cannonball melody with AlphaNotes (letters in the note heads) on this page
Download Free Kids Sheet Music Wabash Cannonball Secondo
Kerri:
What a great selection of beginner music!
My young student will be thrilled to be able to play songs she "knows!" Thank-you!
Cat:
Thank you so much for these resources - I have a small music studio in Johannesburg, South Africa.
My kids love playing these tunes.
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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All the first-year material I give my beginner students.
Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!
This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This", available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a brave young queen risked her life to save her people.
A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!
This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.
This book is available as a digital download from this site. Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.
It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!
This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.
And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!" They will be spending more time at the piano.
A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls.
The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.
With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.
Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!
Comments
Do you have a funny story about this music, or does it remind you of something you'd like to share with other readers? Do you have a question? I'd love to hear it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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One hand alone music for beginning piano students is pretty hard to find. Here are some suggestions for sources of piano music. -
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Down By the Salley Gardens is a pretty song from the British Isles with poetry by William Butler Yeats. Download piano, vocal, & lead sheets for your students!